OAKLAND, Calif. — Some days are tougher than others for major league managers. Seattle Mariners skipper Lloyd McClendon had one of those tough moments Thursday when he had to tell veteran utility man Willie Bloomquist he was designated for assignment.
The move opened a spot on the roster for shortstop Chris Taylor, who was called up from Triple-A Tacoma and started against the Oakland A’s, going 0-for-2 in a Seattle 4-0 loss Thursday night.
“Obviously, it was a pretty difficult decision to release Bloomquist,” McClendon said. “He’s meant so much to this organization, great in the playoffs, his work ethic was second to none. It’s always tough when you let the good guys go. We just felt that Taylor was at a point now where he was playing consistent baseball down there. I think to a man we all thought he was a better option.”
Bloomquist, 37, was drafted by Seattle in the third round in 1999 and played 622 games in two stints with the Mariners. Bloomquist was batting .159 in 35 games during an injury-plagued season this year.
Taylor hit .129 in 20 games with the Mariners after being called up in early May and was optioned to Tacoma on June 1. He said he simplified his hitting approach and got back into a groove in the minors.
“I think the biggest thing is there was a lot of pressure up here and I was struggling,” Taylor said before the game. “You find yourself in a hole. Sometimes you try too hard, you think too much. I think being sent down there was good for me. It helped me relax, just take it one day at a time and work my way back.”
“I feel like my approach has been pretty good to where I simplified things. I think when I was here earlier I might have been thinking too much. I just tried to keep it simple and put the bat on the ball.”
McClendon spent time Thursday thinking about his history with Bloomquist.
“Most people don’t know I managed Willie years ago in California in the Fall League,” McClendon said of his first managerial job in 1999 at Lancaster. “He was one of my players. He was a joy to be around there, he’s been a joy to be around ever since. We’ve got a lot of history together. It’s never easy, particularly when it’s somebody you like.”
Taylor, a right-handed hitter, will be used primarily against “real tough lefties like (Scott) Kazmir,” McClendon said of the Oakland starter Thursday, who pitched eight shutout innings.
Seattle’s regular shortstop, Brad Miller, hits left-handed.